On
Mali, France
Says ECOWAS
Hasn't Asked
for Money,
Talks Envoy
for
Sahel
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 10 --
After French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
read out a
UN Security
Council press
statement on
Mali late
Friday
afternoon,
Inner City
Press asked
him two
questions
about the
country.
First,
Inner City
Press asked
Araud for
France's
position on
what Morocco
has proposed,
a dedicated
envoy for
Mali,
different from
West Africa
envoy Said
Djinnit who
they say is
already
overworked
with issues
ranging from
piracy in the
Gulf of Guinea
to the coup
d'etat in
Guinea Bissau.
Araud
replied that
it is a French
idea, for an
envoy to the
Sahel. Inner
City Press
asked if this
would be
separate from
UNOWA and Said
Djinnit. Araud
replied that
the identity
of the envoy
is not
France's
concern. But
can one person
do these
disparate
jobs, well?
Inner
City Press
also asked who
would PAY for
the proposed
ECOWAS force
to
Mali. Earlier
on Friday,
Araud said
that the idea
for a neutral
force
for the
Eastern Congo
and its border
with Rwanda
would be too
costly.
Araud
said that so
far, no
specific
request for
funding from
ECOWAS has
been received.
But isn't that
what this is
all about?
Watch this
site.
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